HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST

The course is part of the teaching activities that characterise the Master Degree in Ancient Civilisations: Literature, History and Archaeology. It aims at guiding the student to master sources and methodologies in the field of Ancient Near Eastern history, as well as to develop independent research.

At the end of the course, the student will be able to critically approach ancient sources, as well as to apply current methodologies in their analysis. In addition, the student will be able to develop independent research in the field of Ancient Near Eastern history. He or she will practice the newly acquired skills and knowledge by writing a short scientific paper on a topic related to the course, to be agreed upon with the teacher.

A general knowledge of the history of the Ancient Near East is recommended. This might be acquired through a series of individual readings provided by the teacher at the beginning of classes, and tailored on the student’s academic experience.

Title: “The first emperor: Sargon of Akkad and his dynasty (XXIV-XXII centuries BCE)”. The course focuses on a momentous period in Ancient Near Eastern history, with special regards to the development of royal ideology and land management. Individual lectures will touch upon several connected topics: historical premises that allowed for the inclusion of the city-state model in a larger frame; the modes of expression of imperial regime; political propaganda; administrative reforms; representation of power, etc. Accordingly, both epigraphic and archaeological sources will be inquired (royal inscriptions, literary compositions, administrative texts, glyptics, statuary, etc.). Such sources will be framed in their broader historical context, in order to evaluate innovation and continuity with regards to previous periods.

Foster, B.R. 2016: The Age of Agade : Inventing Empire in Ancient Mesopotamia. London / New York: Routledge.
Liverani, M. 1993: Akkad, the First World Empire: Structure, Ideology, Traditions. Padova: Sargon.
Further references will be provided in class.
For students unable to attend classes, further texts shall be assigned.

- notes and materials from the classes
- class discussion on selected topics
- written assignment (short scientific paper)

Presentation of the subject by the teacher and discussion in class. Handouts will be distributed to the students, concerning texts to be discussed. Overview of web resources.

Italian

Presentation of the subject by the teacher and discussion in class. Handouts will be distributed to the students, concerning texts to be discussed. Overview of web resources.

written and oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Cities, infrastructure and social capital" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development